Day 152: 8 April 2026

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 Short Story -- The Open Road


‘There is a house in New Orleans / They call the Rising Sun / And it’s been the ruin of many a poor boy / And God, I know. I’m one.’

The hard voices of The Animals drifted from the radio and out the window of the truck as Jack drove North. It was starting to get hot outside with summer just around the corner and the AC on the truck hadn’t worked as long as Jack had known it, thus the window was open. There were green fields as far as the eye could see on either side of the road. And although the day had started out with blue skies and sun, it was now cloudy and overcast.

It was just Jack in the car. And there were no other cars in sight on the road.

The thing about being alone on the open road is that it can give one an awful lot of time to think.

And Jack doesn’t want to do that.

He’d rather forget.

He’d rather forget that his older brother died in a car crash.

He’d rather forget what it’s done to his parents. Their grief eating them alive.

He’d rather forget that he’s the only one holding the family and the farm together at the moment.

He’d rather forget that he, himself, hasn’t had time to grieve yet.

And that makes him angry.

And in some ways, anger is easier to deal with than grief, so Jack is holding onto that as tightly as he’s gripping the steering wheel with his hands, the knuckles white.

So far, it’s not been a loud anger. He’s not shouted. He’s not punched a wall or a pillow. If anything he’s been quieter and more restrained on the outside than he’s ever been. Stoic. At least the facade.

But inside, it’s a bubbling and seething fury that’s buried deep.

He’s angry at the other driver for causing all of this pain, angry at his brother for dying, angry at his parents for losing themselves in their grief and leaving him holding everything, and just angry at the world.

Right now, it’s fuel, but every now again Jack wonders if he should be worried.

‘Dear God, I know I was the one.’

The song ends. And Jack keeps driving. Hands gripping the wheel. Eyes ahead.

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